A New Era
by AnonymousTurtle69
Summary: A prophecy foretold Hera's next child would be able to overthrow Zeus and start a new era. The council, afraid of what a future would hold for them, restricts Hera from giving birth. However, a certain god doesn't like the King of the Gods much and decides to help. My first fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.  
**

Chapter 1

Third Person POV

Hera sat on her throne, sighing. The Olympians, her family, started arguing _again_. Zeus and Poseidon were yelling over something completely irrelevant and stupid. The meetings were always the same: Zeus bringing up a controversial topic and taking one side, Poseidon taking the opposite, the whole council getting involved (save for Hera, since she tried to keep peace, Hestia, since she was so kind and easygoing, Dionysus, since he didn't care, and Aphrodite, since she was too busy applying makeup) and in the end, Zeus calling off the meeting since everyone was threatening to kill each other.

"ENOUGH!" Zeus yelled as Ares and Apollo started to fight in the middle of the throne room. "WE ARE NO CLOSER TO RESOLVING THIS ISSUE THAN WE WERE LAST YEAR!"

"That's because you won't listen to us and instead, make decisions based on your shitty logic!" replied Poseidon, his anger growing with each word, before being zapped by electricity.

Poseidon responded by dousing Zeus with ice cold water, angering the King of the Gods immensely. They started to fight before Hera had to intervene,

"STOP! We are a family, and settle things by words, not fists! If you can't control yourselves, and instead choose to fight like a bunch of mindless idiots, we'd be better off not having these pointless wastes of time! Now, I think we should go back home until you we can control ourselves like civilized people!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU WHO HAS SELF-CONTROL!" Ares yelled as he charged towards Hera.

Athena sighed as she flashed Ares back to his throne with a snap of her finger. "Hera is right. We can't argue (fight) like this if we ever dream of getting anything done. I think we should all just… call this meeting off and go home."

Most of the Olympians murmured agreement and flashed away, leaving Zeus, Hera, Hestia and, surprisingly, Apollo (He didn't live in Olympus).

"Apollo. What brings you here?" Zeus asked.

"There's… been a prophecy…" Apollo nervously responded.

"Why didn't you say it in front of the council?"

Apollo gulped.

" _The next child the queen will bring_

 _Contains the ability to dethrone the king_

 _Driven by equity, vengeance and rage_

 _Unifying races of different age_

 _A new era the successor will cause_

 _Putting war, strife and violence to a pause."_

Hera paled. _"Well, shit."_

-Line Break-

Third Person POV

"Olympians, I have called upon you to discuss an important revelation." Zeus announced.

"We had an 'important revelation' earlier today that ended up as a big fight…" Hermes grumbled. Most of the council (consciously) agreed.

Zeus pretended not to hear Hermes. "Apollo has given us a prophecy. Apollo?"

Apollo cleared his throat.

" _The next child the queen will bring_

 _Contains the ability to dethrone the king_

 _Driven by equity, vengeance and rage_

 _Unifying races of different age_

 _A new era the successor will cause_

 _Putting war, strife and violence to a pause."_

"Now, any ideas of what we should do?" Zeus said.

No one spoke. That was a first. Athena broke the silence with,

"I think we should decipher the prophecy first. Find out what is could mean before we do anything we might regret."

The whole council agreed. Another first.

"The first two lines probably mean Hera's next child could overthrow Zeus. The third line means the prophecy child will probably be fighting for Hera or the greater good, and the last three lines probably mean the child could unify us with Titans, mortals, or even primordials, causing peace for a time."

"Well, is this bad? I mean, peace, no wars, and gaining allies?" said Poseidon, "That can't possibly be bad, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe the 'successor' will kick some of us out of the council? I mean, the new, unified council won't have unlimited space. Plus, I'm not too eager to spend time with Kronos, Gaea or giants…" Apollo responded.

"I'm not sure about this. The person the prophecy is about essentially plays the lynchpin in Olympus's fate." Hephaestus grunted. "If he doesn't like us, or what we do, he could do all sorts of terrible stuff to us. Normally, I'd wait until I saw this person for myself before deciding what to do, but if we wait until then, we'd be out of time."

"Well, the prophecy involves Zeus the most. What does he have to say?" Artemis asked.

One look at Zeus's face said it all. It was a mix of panic, apprehension, and desperation.

"This person is a threat to the safety of our lives. Bringing in Titans and primordials in the council? This can't be safe."

"Doesn't the prophecy say he'll bring peace? I mean-" Poseidon responded before getting cut off.

"How will he make the peace? Forcing us to cooperate? Torturing us? Plus, 'rage' is in the third line. Rage is an unstable motivator." Zeus shot back.

Athena, desperate to keep some peace herself, said, "How about a vote? All who say this prophecy is good for Olympus?"

Poseidon, Hera, Hermes and Demeter raised their hands.

"All who say this is a threat?"

Zeus, Ares, Dionysus, Apollo, Artemis, Aphrodite and Hephaestus raised their hands.

Athena abstained.

"Well, that's 7. Majority rules."

"Great. Now, what should we do about this?" Zeus replied, obviously relieved. "We could try and prevent a child from Hera."

"Not a bad idea. Who agrees?" responded Apollo.

Zeus, Hermes, Ares, Dionysus, Apollo, Hephaestus and Athena agreed.

"WHAT? I haven't even agreed! You do this without my consent? What the hell is this?" Hera yelled.

"Well, it is majority rules last time I checked." Zeus responded.

"Okay, who wants to dethrone Zeus and make all gods equal in power?"

"That's different. You'd be directly stripping me of power!" Zeus argued.

"Forbidding me to have a child isn't different?" Hera spat back.

"We decided it's a threat to Olympus!" Zeus replied.

"Forget this shitty council! I'm off!" Hera seethed.

-Line Break-

Silence followed Hera's abrupt departure. Athena broke the silence (again). "There goes Hera. Any ideas on how to prevent Hera's child?" Athena asked.

"Wait, why isn't everyone panicking right now? Hera is alone and unsupervised… She could be, um, having a child right now." said Hermes.

"That would be breaking her oath. She'd be killed or stripped of her immortality." Athena responded.

"We could exile her to Tartarus?" Ares proposed.

"No. That's WAY too harsh." Apollo said. "I mean, I don't like this prophecy much, but Hera hasn't done anything wrong… yet."

"How about making her infertile?" Dionysus responded.

"Great idea, let's do- oh wait, she's the goddess of childbirth, dumbass." Hermes responded.

"We could lock her in a room under supervision." Hephaestus proposed.

"Maybe not the 'lock her in a room' part, but who else likes the 'supervision' part?" Artemis commented.

The whole council, save for Poseidon, raised their hands.

"Who should supervise her and make sure she has no children?" Athena asked

Hestia was the only volunteer.

"I'll do it."

"So, it's been decided. Let's go find Hera." Zeus boomed.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 2

Hera POV

As I walked through the streets of Seattle, my favorite city, I was fuming. Zeus, that bastard! Don't know why I married such a-

"Watch where you're going, bitch!" interrupted my thoughts as I crashed into a mortal man in a business suit.

First Zeus, now this mortal? I was about to end his existence, but decided the better of it. The Olympians were on my tail, and a new crater in Seattle would be… revealing, to say the least. I calmed down. I realized I wasn't mad at that mortal, but I was mad at Zeus. At times like these, I just wished he wasn't King of the Gods, and the fact that you couldn't do anything about it was just maddening. Well, come to think about it…

-Line Break-

Third Person POV

Hades sat on his throne, listening to the blah, blah of the ghosts. It was boring, but hey, he had Persephone with him. Better than the other ¾ of the year. Suddenly, Hera flashed into his palace.

"Hades. May I speak to you in your bedroom?" Hera commanded.

Hearing Hera's tone, and knowing her temper, Hades immediately said yes for his own safety and well-being. As Hades led Hera to his bedroom, she told Hades about the council meeting, along with the prophecy.

"Okay, how does this concern me?" Hades responded.

"Don't you want a place in the new council?" Hera said.

"Is that a trick question? You think it's fun being the eldest child of Kronos and Rhea, and not even have a council seat? Even the drunk, Dionysus has a seat!" Hades snapped.

"OK, here's the deal…" Hera trailed off about her plan.

-Line Break-

Persephone sat on her throne, picking at her nails. Hera had arrived about hour ago. What did she even want? In the bedroom? Wait, why the bedroom? Out of all places, the bedroom? What could you even do there? A lightbulb seemed to set off in Persephone's head. She sprinted off her throne to the bedroom.

" _Please don't be what I'm thinking it is…"_ Persephone pleaded.

Outside the bedroom, she heard a couple of muffled moans and grunts that confirmed her suspicions. Persephone with barely contained her rage as flung the door open. There they were, sweaty and entangled on the bed. Persephone launched into a rage, trapping them down with vines.

"YOU BITCH! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY HUSBAND!" Persephone raged.

Hades snapped out of a trance. "She seduc-"

"LET'S SEE WHAT ZEUS HAS TO SAY ABOUT THIS!" Persephone screamed.

-Line Break-

"She WHAT?" Zeus hollered.

"She came into the underworld, asked Hades to go to the BEDROOM with her, and then there they were, having an- an AFFAIR!" Persephone cried with barely contained rage as Demeter comforted her.

"Hera, she- she seduced me! She f- fed me this potion and-" Hades desperately stuttered.

"BULLSHIT HADES! HOW COULD YOU!" Persephone screamed.

"SILENCE! We will deal with Hades's supposed innocence later. Right now, we need to deal with HERA…" Zeus thundered. (get it? haha…) He said Hera like it was a disgusting swear word.

"Well it's not my fault you're the worst husband in the world! YOU CAN'T EVEN-" Hera shot back.

"Former husband." Zeus said, deathly calm and quiet.

"Wh-what?" Hera whispered back.

"YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF BEING MY WIFE. YOU'RE THE GODESS OF MARRIAGE AND YOU CHEATED! THE COUNCIL DECIDED TO GO AGAINST YOUR DESCISION, SO YOU THROW A TEMPER TANTRUM AND HAVE AN AFFAIR WITH- WITH THIS! YOU'RE THE ONE ALWAYS STRESSING MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, YOU FILTY HYPOCRITE!" Zeus seethed at the top of his lungs.

"Hera, goddess of marriage, women, childbirth, and family. You are no longer my wife. I annul this marriage!" Zeus shouted.

Hera was in disbelief. She slumped out of her throne and ran away. Out of Olympus, out of the Empire State. She ran away to dull the pain, knowing if she faced it she would collapse and die there. She ran away to avoid reality for as long as possible, holding on to the fantasy that she would face the pain when she could handle it. But deep down, she knew she wouldn't heal for a long, long time. At least, that was what the council assumed.

Hera POV (earlier that day)

I went to the beach with nothing but cold determination. Zeus would pay for this. I stepped in the water and called for Triton.

"Triton! I wish to see your father, Lord Poseidon."

-Line Break-

"You're willing to risk that much? But what if he says no, or-" Poseidon responded with utter disbelief.

"You think he likes being down there in the underworld? Ridiculed, unappreciated, and with no say in any of the Olympian's decisions?" I shot back.

"Fair point." Poseidon admitted after a pause.

"Please Poseidon. You know how much of a dick Zeus can be. Take him. Please." I begged.

Poseidon looked conflicted. "I, I- I will. Wait, who is the father? How are you still immortal? Have you kept your oath?"

I didn't look back. He agreed, and didn't need to know anything more. Now, off to Hecate's. As I flashed to Hecate's, I exhaled a breath I didn't know I was holding.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

 **Announcement at end of chapter. Stay tuned.**

Chapter 3

Third Person POV (Time Skip ~1 year)

Chaos in the Olympian council was at an all-time high. The gods were yelling with no restraint. Hera, who was now locked up in what was essentially a prison for "treason against the gods", had been replaced by Hestia, the only difference being she wasn't married to Zeus. Hades, after the infamous bedroom scandal, had been cleared after a potent love potion was found in his body.

"NO? What do you mean 'NO?' Ares's plan is the shittiest idea in Shitsville!" Poseidon roared.

"Shitsville isn't a place, retard." Athena countered.

"IT'S AN EXPRESSION!" Poseidon yelled back.

"We should eat cereal!" Demeter interrupted.

"WE ARE GETTING NOWHERE! THIS IS A COUNCIL, NOT-" Zeus hollered before getting cut off.

"Hera was better at scolding us then you, Zeus!" Ares said.

"Don't speak of that traitor!" Zeus warned.

"Just because we don't say her name doesn't mean we'll forget!" Poseidon shot back.

"You can't deny that Olympus has gone downhill without her," Athena admitted.

"She was a threat to Olympus! Attempting to make the prophecy come true just because we didn't do what she said!" Zeus pointed out.

"Why am I still here? My eardrums are starting to bleed." Hermes whispered to Apollo.

"I feel you man. I just ignore it." Apollo whispered back.

In a nutshell, the council was in massive discord.

-Line Break-

Hera sighed in her prison. It was designed like a 5-star hotel room, with all living essentials and then some, but Hera was not fooled. As nice as the room was, she was a prisoner. She couldn't leave, was stripped of her power, and was under constant watch. The only reason she was alive was because a dead Queen of the Gods would be a huge shock for the camps.

As Hera watched Hephaestus TV, she sighed. The mindless reality TV was getting to her; she felt as if her IQ was slowly dropping. " _It's okay. Just a while until the prophecy comes true, and I'm free from this prison,_ " Hera sighed. " _Wonder how my child is doing…"_

-Line Break-

"WAAAA!" Perseus cried.

"Calm down, buddy! It's going to be alright. Daddy will be alight… I hope." Amphitrite cooed.

Amphitrite sighed. She and Triton were in charge until Poseidon came back from the council… which could be anytime from now until… who knows? Lately, without Hera in control of the council, not only the meetings themselves were uncontrollable, but the duration and the safety of them also. Sometimes, Poseidon came back bruised and leaking ichor all over after days of meeting. Just at that moment, Poseidon teleported back to Atlantis look thankfully unhurt, but frustrated.

"Hey Poseidon," Amphitrite said. "Anything get done at the council?"

Poseidon raised an eyebrow. "Did the sun rise from the west this morning?"

Amphitrite chuckled. "Good point."

"How was Perseus?" Poseidon asked.

"Same as always." Amphitrite responded.

They had named the child Perseus because, well, the whole situation reminded them of the original Perseus, with the prophecy about the king being dethroned, and his daughter's child being the one to do it, and the king locking up his daughter, but his daughter having a child anyway. Sure, some of the exact details were different, but the general gist was the same.

"Did you see Hera?" Amphitrite stated.

"No. Still in her 'containment capsule." Poseidon voiced.

Amphitrite joked, "That is the worst euphemism I've ever heard. What the hell even is a 'containment capsule?"

Poseidon chuckled. "Zeus probably thought 'jail' was too harsh and wanted to fool some of the dumber gods like Ares and Dionysus."

It was nice to know things at home were still the same. The grumpiness of the council hadn't affected Poseidon.

Poseidon yawned. "I'm tired. Night, honey."

"Night." Amphitrite said.

Amphitrite looked at Perseus. Even though he was a child of Hera and… someone else, he didn't look like Hera. Poseidon blessed him, so he looked like a miniature version of himself. Amphitrite yawned. She didn't realize how tired she was. Taking care of babies was hard work. She put Perseus down in his crib, plopped down next to Poseidon, and drifted off into the blissful realm of sleep.

Time Skip (years later)

Percy grunted. Him and Triton were sparring with wooden batons, and he just got smacked at his side. Percy, trying to initiate an attack, slashed at Triton's side, but Triton parried and swept Percy's legs, causing him to fall.

"Yield?" Triton asked.

"Yes." Percy grumbled.

"And Triton remains undefeated as the crowd goes wild!" Triton smirked.

"Yeah, because I'm 7 and you're… old." Percy retorted.

"Did you just call me old?" Triton asked.

"Yeah, grandpa." Percy teased.

"Well, back in my day, a common punishment was paddling… you want to find out what that is, sonny?" Triton asked with an imitation of an old person.

"No!" Percy yelled while running away.

Triton chortled. He liked Percy; he was the little brother he never had. Though, he just showed up one day. His mother and father just said they had to keep him. When asked about it, they didn't give any more details. He gave up questioning after a while, but sometimes he couldn't help thinking, " _Why? Father wouldn't just bring home one of his sons. Why would he bring someone else's child under the sea? Is it mother's child? No, mother wouldn't cheat, and Poseidon wouldn't take care of mother's bastard child. Something fishy_ (haha) _is going on…_ "

(Summer Solstice)

The gods arrived at the nearest yelling sess- *ahem* meeting. So far, the meeting was going as planned. Meaning everyone was starting to fight each other. As Ares and Dionysus started to throw some punches, Apollo yelled "STOP!"

That was surprising. Apollo, along with Hermes, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hestia, and Hephaestus, had stopped participating in the council altogether. All they did was show up, and zone out until the end.

"I have a prophecy." Apollo said.

" _A half-blood of the eldest gods_

 _Shall reach sixteen against all odds_

 _Beside another great force_

 _Destiny will take its course_

 _A single choice shall end his days_

 _Olympus to preserve or raze._ "

-Line Break-

Poseidon swore loudly and fumed all the way back to Atlantis. This newest prophecy would ruin their plans. Before, the plan was to send Perseus to camp Half-Blood disguised as a demigod son of Poseidon. Now, doing so would be a whole lot more dangerous. Zeus would be on the lookout for children of the Big Three, and sending Perseus would be a huge gamble. Perseus couldn't stay under the sea, he wouldn't reach his full potential. He couldn't be sent to Camp Jupiter, as the Romans didn't like Neptune much. Plus, the prophecy was issued when the gods were in their Greek forms, anyway. This left Poseidon with 2 options, both he didn't like.

1) Send Percy to Camp-Half Blood disguised as a son of Poseidon.

2) Send Percy to Camp-Half Blood disguised as a son of Triton or another minor god of the sea.

The former would be the "high risk, high reward" option. Zeus could kill Percy on the spot fearing for 'the safety of Olympus', or let him live. However, a son of Poseidon would be powerful, getting sent on quests, battling monsters, training him for the _real_ prophecy. The latter would be safer, but its upside would be less appealing. Percy, stuffed in the Hermes cabin, wouldn't get sent on any quests or do anything important. But, he'd be safe from Zeus's wrath. Poseidon went over to Amphitrite. This was going to be a long talk.

 **Announcement: Currently, I have this as a Percy/Athena fic, but if you guys hate that pairing, I'll change it, as long as it's not:**

 **-Any guys (like, males)  
**

 **-Hera (They're mother/son...)**

 **-Thalia (I just don't like the pairing.)**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Didn't like this chapter much, but it's necessary. Feel like I didn't get Percy right in general. Maybe it's not that bad; I dunno. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 4

Percy POV

I had just finished my bath and was in my bedroom. As I lay on my bed, Dad walked into my room. "Son, we need to talk."

I gulped. "Is it about the birds and the bees?"

"NO! No, I'm, ah, not ready for that…quite yet…" Dad murmured the last part. "I'm not your real father. You're adopted. Your real mother sent you undersea to protect you."

" _What the hell? How and why am I adopted?"_

"Uh…" I said. "What? Why?"

"There was a prophecy saying Hera's next child would be able to overthrow Zeus. You were born, and Hera sent you undersea to protect you from Zeus." Poseidon explained.

"So, you're not my real father?" I asked. "Then who is?"

"Well, we don't know. The only person who knows the full plan is Hera herself, and she's… unavailable." Poseidon answered.

" _Dad comes barging into my room and tells me that adopted, and part of this plan that he doesn't even know all of? Sounds great!"_ I mentally rolled my eyes.

"So now what?" I pressed.

"What?" Dad questioned.

"You didn't tell me this for no reason. What's wrong? What happened?" I responded.

"Well, another prophecy was made that messed our plans up. It said the next child of either me, Zeus, or Hades would have the power to save or destroy Olympus. Initially, the plan was for me to send you to Camp-Half Blood as a child of Poseidon, but given the circumstances, that's less safe than we originally thought." Poseidon replied. "Me and your mother couldn't reach a decision, so we give you a choice. Either you accept the risks, and get sent to camp as a son of Poseidon, or we send you as a child of Triton, Delphin, or another minor sea god."

"Why would I go to camp as a son of Poseidon? Zeus would smite me on the spot." I replied. I couldn't help but think " _Duh?_ "

"Well, children of minor gods at camp aren't… as respected. You wouldn't get sent on many, if any, quests, and get stuffed in the Hermes cabin." Poseidon grimaced. "You'd get better treatment as a child of Poseidon. Zeus could also keep you alive if he likes you, but that's a huge gamble."

You know that feeling you get when you walk into this huge store, and there's so much stuff and you can't decide what to even do? That's how I felt, except with none of the joy.

"Dad? Can I have some time to think about this?" I stated.

"Oh, yeah, sure son. Tell me when you want." Dad said.

As I laid on my bed, realization hit me. Dad had just walked in, and was like "you're adopted and part of this prophecy, you might die, make this life changing decision, ok, have fun, bye" without any warning. I wasn't hurt about me being adopted. I loved my family and community. Triton was like a big brother, Poseidon and Amphitrite were great parents, and the citizens of Atlantis were great people. The thing that hurt was the shock. I was involved in this deadly situation all along, and had to make a life-changing choice that could kill me.

" _Alright Percy, let's think this out. Should I go as a son of Poseidon or not? I certainly don't want to be in that Hermes cabin, but living is great._ "

I decided I needed some rest. I was too tired to care anymore, so I drifted off.

-Line Break-

"Dad, I've made my choice. I want to go as a son of Triton." I said.

"Okay, son. Be safe! I love you." Dad replied, tearing up. "I will always be there with you. Me and mother wish you well."

Dad snapped his fingers, and I appeared at the base of a large hill. There was a sign that read: _Half-Blood Hill._

I ran up the hill into camp. There seemed to be 12 large houses, each decorated with certain traits. One looked like a farm, the other a factory, the other a Barbie Dream House.

This weird horse-man creature looked at me and said, "Welcome to Camp-Half Blood! I'm Chiron. Have you been claimed yet?"

"What does claimed mean?" I asked.

"You know, your godly parent 'claims' you as theirs." the Chiron explained.

"No." I replied.

"Oh. Well, have fun until then. We have a rock climbing wall, a…" Chiron said as he toured the camp for me.

-Line Break-

Years had passed since I joined camp. The Hermes cabin was overcrowded and bleak, but living here was better than death, right? I prayed Triton would claim me. Maybe claimed children of minor gods would get better treatment? But he nothing ever happened. Every year, I watched the same team of heroes come back after every quest, receiving star treatment, making camp a better place. Sure, quests were dangerous, but what's life without the risk? All I could do was train, spar, hack at dummies, eat dinner, and sleep. I had some friends, and they were great, but they couldn't fill the space that being a son of Poseidon would've given.

The heroes form the latest quest had just came back. I, along with the other campers, cheered them on and felt happy for camp's achievement, but I was still empty.

" _That could've been me…_

 _But here I am now. In one piece. Unfried by Zeus's master bolt._

 _Yes, but is living this life even living at all?_

 _No._ "

If only I could change it…

-Line Break-

I gasped. It was dark out. I didn't want to wake the- wait, I just woke up. I was sleeping. It was all a dream. I cried out in relief. I didn't want to live like that. I made up my mind. Sure, I could live the "safe" life as a child of a minor god. But living in that Hermes cabin was barely living at all. I sat up to go tell Dad, knowing I was making the right choice.

 **A/N: The reviews I got said Percy/Artemis, but it's been done so many times. How would you guys feel about Percy/Hestia? I'm fine with Percy/Zoe and Percy/Annabeth, but both would be hard to pair. Oh, and how predictable was the dream? Did I get you guys, or did you call it?**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: My longest, and favorite chapter. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 5

Third Person POV

"I'll manipulate the mist and put you in an orphanage." Seeing the look on Percy's face, Poseidon quickly added, "Don't worry, it's the best in New York City. You'll go to a school called Green Valley Middle School. When the time comes, when you're around 12, you'll get sent to Camp Half-Blood as a son of Poseidon. Also, before you get sent to Camp, pretend to be like a normal mortal with no idea about the Greek Gods. OK?"

"Alright." Percy responded.

"You ready?" Poseidon asked, tears forming in his eyes.

"Can I have a minute?" Percy relied.

"Yeah. Sure." Poseidon responded, his voice breaking.

Percy went back to his room and thought of all the memories, all the things he would be leaving behind. He thought of his brother, Triton, and all the good times they shared. He thought of his mother, Amphitrite and how loving and caring she was. He thought of his father, Poseidon, and all the advice and fun they had. Percy started to tear up a little himself, but instead of focusing all the things he would be leaving behind, he started to focus all the things that were ahead in life. He took a deep breath, and walked along to begin another stage of his life.

Percy's family gathered to see him leave. Triton looked like he was about to cry at any moment, Amphitrite was sobbing, and Poseidon was silent as tears streamed down his face.

"Thanks for everything you've done. I love you." Percy cried.

Poseidon smiled. "I love you too."

He snapped his fingers, and the world turned dark.

-Line Break-

Percy opened his eyes. He was currently in a room, sort of like a college dorm. It looked like he'd been living there for years. There were trophies, posters, an alarm clock, and some books.

"Percy! Time to come down for dinner!" a voice yelled, sounding like a woman and coming from downstairs.

"Coming…" a name suddenly popped into his head. "Mrs. White!"

Percy silently thanked Poseidon for thinking of that. He went downstairs for dinner.

They were serving chicken with and what looked like vegetables on the side. Percy thought the chicken was great, but skipped the "vegetables."

Percy went upstairs, and found that they had a lounge with a TV and pool table. He watched TV until curfew, which was 9:30. He went back to his room showered, and laid on his bed. He thought about what school would be like, his family, and Camp-Half Blood as he drifted off.

Percy woke up, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast, and rode the bus to school. He looked in his agenda for his schedule, which read:

Percy Jackson

A DAY:

1st- English; Ms. Steinbeck

2nd- Science; Ms. Galilei

3rd- Health/PE; Mr. Brady

[Lunch]

4th- Latin; Mr. Mattarella

B DAY:

5th- Resource; Ms. Smith

[Lunch]

6th- Tech Ed; Mr. Cerf

7th- History; Ms. Hastings

8th- Algebra; Mr. Newton

Percy liked his schedule, except for the fact that lunch was before PE. He got off the bus and began just another day of school.

-Line Break-

Percy rode the bus home _spent_. He had listened to hours of his teachers droning on and on about stuff he neither found interesting nor cared about. He just wanted to go home and sleep, but he had to homework: a couple of worksheets and a project for English. But hey, at least they weren't due tomorrow and had had resource to do them. But for now, Percy didn't care much. He plopped on his bed and slept.

"Dinner!" Mrs. White yelled.

Percy woke. He yawned and slouched over to dinner. They were having mac & cheese with a side of fries. Everything was great and Percy went back to his room to have another sleeping session.

-Line Break-

Time Skip (~2 months)

Percy had gotten used to the monotonous routine of life. Wake up, go to school, waste 7 hours of your day, go home tired as hell, sleep, rush through your homework/ projects in resource, repeat. He was at a decent B average, but had an A in Latin and a C in math.

The day started out normally on this chilly February morning, eating breakfast, riding the bus, getting to school, and heading into English. Percy got ready to zone out like he usually did, but just at that moment someone new ran into the room. He looked very… goat like in an odd way. He had a pointed face and long nose. His eyes were spaced out and he wore a cap.

"What's your name?" Ms. Steinbeck asked.

"Grover Underwood." The new kid replied.

"Grover… let's see…" she said as she ran her finger down the attendance sheet. "There you are. You new here?

"Yes. Just moved here." The new kid answered.

"Okay. Why don't you sit down next to… Percy over there?" Ms. Steinbeck suggested.

"Sure!" The new kid cheered. "Uh… I mean, sure."

The new kid, or Grover, limped over and sat down next to Percy. Percy stared at him. " _Why was he so happy when he saw me?_ _He lit up when the teacher said he'd sit next to me. I don't even know him._ "

Grover caught Percy staring. He quickly looked away and continued with his regularly scheduled zoning out.

The same thing happened for the rest of the day. Grover was in all his classes, and he was even sitting directly next to him. Odd. He had even sat next to him at lunch. That was odd. In his school, you sat with your homeroom at lunch. Percy was friends with some people, but none of them were in his homeroom; he usually sat alone. As Percy rode the bus home he thought of why Grover would act like that. Maybe he needed a friend? But getting put in _all_ the same classes, not a coincidence. In the end, Percy knew something was off, but couldn't figure out exactly what.

-Line Break-

(~a week later, lunch)

"Hey Percy!" Grover announced.

"Hey." Percy stated.

"How's it going?" Grover asked.

"Fine, thanks." Percy responded.

"What are you eating there?" Grover pressed.

Percy internally sighed. Grover was seriously getting annoying. Percy was fine with Grover needing a friend, but he was really pushing it. He'd just ask barrages of random questions all the time.

"A sandwich." Percy uttered.

"What's in it?" Grover remarked.

Percy had enough. He just wanted to enjoy his sandwich, but Grover was annoying him. "I have to use the restroom."

"Oh, okay." Percy went to leave. "Hey, why are you taking your lunchbox?" Grover yelled over the crowd.

" _Finally, some peace and quiet._ " Percy sighed as he sat on the stall. He didn't want to eat lunch here, but it was better than listening to Grover babble on.

Suddenly a shudder passed through the restroom. The room rumbled.

" _What the shit?_ " Percy thought.

Immediately after that thought, a strange thing blew the wall open. It was a weird half-bull, half-man like creature.

Percy remembered his life under the sea, and how Triton taught him about the most dangerous Greek monsters. "The Minotaur…" Percy whispered.

The Minotaur bellowed. Without second thought, Percy dropped his sandwich and ran out of the restroom.

-Line Break-

Percy ran, ran past the cafeteria, trying to draw attention in hopes someone would notice this ginormous monster chasing a student down its hallways.

No one did. Well, unless you count Grover.

As soon Grover saw this monster, not any monster, the Minotaur, he nearly fainted. He knew he didn't have much of a chance in fighting this thing, but he had to follow Percy. It was his only chance to keep his job.

He got up and followed the monster scent, which was seriously _disgusting_.

-Line Break-

Percy ran down the hallway. He turned the corner and cursed. There was a brick wall. A dead end, and the Minotaur blocked the only way out. He considered his options:

1) Fight.

2) Play matador and get the Minotaur to smash into the wall, then escape.

3) Stay alive until help comes.

He didn't like either 1 or 2. He didn't know how he could fight with no weapon, and he could fuck up the second one and get impaled. As a result, he decided on the third. Just as he finished his thought, the Minotaur charged. Percy had to dive left to avoid being gored by its horns, and he still got hurt. The Minotaur's back leg had stepped on Percy, crushing him, leaving him winded and possibly with broken ribs. On the plus side, the Minotaur was in the dead end, and Percy could now run away. And run he did.

-Line Break-

" _Where is Percy?_ " Grover mused as he looked left and right. He didn't look where he was going, and he crashed face first into another student.

"Oh God, I'm so…" Grover stopped. "Percy!?"

"Grover? Thank God, you're here. I'm being chased by the Min-" Percy remembered Poseidon's advice. "this huge bull-man, and I need your help. Also, why didn't anyone see me running for my life?"

"Okay. Stand back." Grover looked close to crying.

"Wait, what? Grover, NO!" Percy shouted and tried to block Grover, but he started running. Towards the Minotaur.

Midway through his glorious trot, he pulled out his dagger. Percy could tell he didn't know how to use it very well, because he held it like wrong, like it had germs.

The Minotaur easily sidestepped and hit Grover like a fastball and the its head a bat. You could call it a home run; Grover was smashed against the opposite wall.

Percy ran over to Grover's unconscious body and felt his wrist. Thankfully, he was alive. Percy took his dagger and decided to fight the Minotaur himself.

"Hey Minotaur! Go take a shower, you degenerate! You smell like bullshit!" (Get it? bull- ah, never mind.)

The Minotaur roared in rage and charged. Percy jumped up at the last second, and started to ride the Minotaur. He got on his back and drove the dagger deep into its backside. The Minotaur howled and threw Percy off in desperation. Percy hit the wall with a sickening " _CRUNCH!_ "

Percy groaned and got up. He steadied himself and taunted, "Your parents didn't even want you! They put you up for adoption as soon as they saw you. But hey, who wouldn't?" (True story, it's in the myth)

The Minotaur bellowed and charged again. Looks like it didn't learn its lesson. Percy ran to meet the charge, but slid like a baserunner stealing second. He rose his dagger up and cut up the Minotaur's stomach. The Minotaur ran headfirst into the wall and dissolved into dust.

Percy stood there, panting. He had just defeated one of the most legendary monsters in Greek myth. After a while, he walked over to the unconscious body of Grover. A business card had fallen out of his pocket, which read:

Grover Underwood

Satyr, Protector of Camp-Half Blood (703-876-0686)

For hire, email me at groverunderwood52

Percy went to go find the nearest phone.

 **A/N: 1800+ words, Woohoo! About the pairing, no one had any objections to Percy/Hestia, so I guess it'll be that. Did any of you read the schedule? Catch the references?**

 **xDrag0nzelit3x: Poseidon blessed Percy with the sea, so he has the scent of a child of Poseidon. Sorry if it wasn't clear enough, it was only one sentence in chapter 3, so I understand if you missed it.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 6

Third Person POV

The van, reading _DELPHI STRAWBERRY SERVICE_ pulled up to the curb. Percy had called Camp Half-Blood earlier, dragging an unconscious Grover along with him. A tan, blond haired, gray eyed girl stepped out of the van.

"You Percy?" she pressed.

Percy was caught off guard by the aggressive tone. "I think."

She didn't look amused at the joke. "You killed the Minotaur?"

"Last time I checked." He showed the Minotaur horn to Annabeth.

Her eyes lingered over it, and her expression softened for a second. "Let's take you to Camp Half-Blood." She stepped into the van.

Percy took a deep breath. " _My new life begins now._ " Bunches of feelings washed over Percy: most notably uncertainty, relief, and hope.

Percy got on the van with Annabeth. She had started to explain to Percy about the Greek gods. Percy tried to listen, but he already knew everything so it was less than eye-opening to him.

"…the gods are real. You're a son of one, too." Annabeth finished.

"Who's your godly parent?" Percy asked.

"Athena. I think we'll get along okay, as long as you're not a child of Ares. Or Poseidon…" she replied, but sounding unsure about the latter.

Percy noticed, but decided not to press further. The van pulled up to camp.

"You want a tour of camp?" Annabeth asked.

Percy shrugged. "Why not?"

"Alright. Let me just send Grover to the infirmary." Annabeth declared.

-Line Break-

Annabeth pointed to the cabins. "We have 12 cabins, each of them for an Olympian god. Cabins One, Two and Three, for Zeus, Hera and Poseidon, respectively, are empty since there haven't been a demigod child of Zeus or Poseidon since World War II, and Hera doesn't have demigod children.

Percy internally chuckled. " _Ironic._ " "Why haven't there been children of Zeus, Poseidon or Hades?"

"I don't know." she said, looking away. "Anyway, Cabin eight, Artemis, is also empty since she's a maiden goddess and doesn't have kids."

Percy had sensed the lie and hasty change of subject, but was already knew the prophecy anyway, so didn't care much. The rest of the tour was rather uneventful. They had an amphitheater, strawberry fields, archery range, horse stables, a lake and a rock climbing wall.

"And here's cabin eleven, for Hermes. You'll be staying here until you get claimed." Annabeth concluded. "Well, see you around Percy. Tell Luke I said hi; he's the cabin's head counselor."

"See you Annabeth. I will." Percy responded.

Percy stepped into the cabin and saw who looked like a stereotypical surfer, except he had a scar on his face. "Hey, I'm Luke."

"Percy." He commented. "Annabeth says hi."

Luke smiled, probably thinking about Annabeth. "Have you been claimed yet?"

"No." Percy said.

"Oh." Luke gave a face that read he was used to this, and a flash of hatred that was gone as soon as it came. "Here, you can have… that spot over there. It's a bit crowded in this cabin."

"Thanks." Percy uttered. He was about to put his Minotaur horn on the ground, but Luke advised him not to.

"Hermes is the god of thieves, you know?" he chuckled.

"Oh. Right." Percy said.

"Dinner is in an hour. Make yourself at home." Luke advised.

An hour later, Percy ate dinner and sacrificed some of his food to his dad, Poseidon. Hopefully he'd get claimed. Chiron called for the end of dinner, and they headed to the campfire.

Percy prayed to his dad while the camp sang "99 Bottles of Nectar on the Wall." " _Please Dad. Can I get claimed?_ "

Nothing happened. Percy slumped through the rest of the songs.

Percy returned to the crowded habitat of Cabin Eleven. He wasn't too happy about his dad not claiming him, but it could be necessary. Maybe no one got claimed on their first day, and doing so would arouse suspicion.

Percy would've went to the training grounds the next day, except for the fact he didn't have a weapon. Annabeth told him to head to the armory, so he did. When he arrived, Chiron just happened to be there, advising a son of Apollo on the bow to pick out.

"Percy. How nice of you to join us. I believe you need a weapon?" Chiron stated.

"Um… Yeah." Percy responded.

Percy spent the next hour trying out every single weapon there. Nothing felt right.

Chiron sighed. He looked pained, as if he didn't want to do this but it was his only choice. "Try this." He pulled a pen out of his pocket.

Percy raised an eyebrow. He thought, " _Nice. Ballpoint pen. Monster slaying device_."

"Uncap it." Chiron commented, seeing Percy's apprehensive face.

Percy did, and a glowing bronze sword appeared. As soon as Percy saw it, he knew he didn't need to test it out. It was right for him. He swung, and his instincts proved to be true.

Chiron had a sad look on his face like he expected it, but hoped it didn't happen. "This is Riptide, or Anaklusmos. Take it and put it in your pocket. It will return there if you lose it."

Percy thanked Chiron and pocketed his pen-sword. He didn't notice the looks on Chiron's face as he headed to the training grounds.

Luke and another camper were currently sparring. The nameless camper feinted to Luke's left side, but Luke saw through the trick and disarmed him.

"Yield?" Luke asked.

"I yield." The camper said back.

The spectators clapped politely. That was Luke's 54th consecutive win.

"Any challengers?" Luke questioned.

Percy stepped up. "I'll give it a shot."

Luke nodded and they walked into the ring. They stood on opposite sides and began the fight. Luke swung at Percy's right side, probably just to see how he would react. Percy deflected his blow and swung at Luke's left. Luke ducked, and they restarted. This time, Percy tried to go on the offensive. He thrusted his sword to Luke's left. Luke went to block, but Percy changed the swing's direction at the last second and swept at his feet. That shouldn't have done anything, at Luke was strong and could've easily stayed upright. However, with a strength Percy didn't know he had, he dropped Luke to the ground and disarmed him.

"Yield?" Percy asked.

Luke with an impressed look on his face, responded with "I yield."

The spectators cheered, but they didn't know how the hell Percy managed to beat Luke. Percy didn't know either.

-Line Break-

Percy soon fell into a routine at camp. He'd wake up in the musty Hermes cabin, eat breakfast, spar at the grounds, eat lunch, train at the rock climbing wall, eat dinner, and pray to his dad at the campfire. He didn't get claimed. Maybe his dad forgot about him? Or he was busy? Percy didn't know, but hoped it was the latter. Luke had learned his strategy, and now could beat Percy most of the time. However, Percy sometimes had weird surges of strength and could overpower Luke. Percy had been here almost two weeks now, and was 4-10 against Luke. He didn't think the record was great, but the other campers did. Some hadn't beaten Luke _ever_.

Today was just another day at camp. Percy woke up, ate breakfast and headed to the training grounds. He saw Luke.

"Hey. Want to spar?" Percy asked.

Luke, who was deep in thought with a raged look on his face, snapped out of it. "Sorry Percy. I'm saving my energy for Capture the Flag tonight."

That had slipped Percy's mind. "Good point. I had forgot about that. See you later then."

Percy had forgotten about Capture the Flag. Annabeth had asked to be with her team, and he wanted to know the matchup. He headed to the Athena cabin.

"Annabeth? Hello?" Percy called into the cabin.

She looked up from her book. "Hi."

"How are the Capture the Flag teams?" Percy inquired.

Annabeth cringed. "Not so well. It's Athena, Hermes, Dionysus and Aphrodite against Apollo, Ares, Hephaestus and Demeter."

Percy didn't know much about the cabins, but even he knew they'd get killed.

Night rolled around. Chiron signaled for the game to start. The plan was for the Hermes and Dionysus cabin to play offence, and Athena and Aphrodite to play defense. Percy charged up the right, but some Apollo campers were playing defense and fired their arrows towards him. Percy ducked and dodged most of them, but on hit him in the shoulder. He was wearing armor, so it didn't impale him, but it still hurt like hell. Percy kept running forward and the Apollo campers retreated. Percy wasted no time. He turned a corner, and the flag was visible. Percy sprinted towards it. However, some Ares campers jumped out of the trees and formed a defensive line around the flag. He knew he couldn't beat them all, so he jumped up and swung with all his might at the camper in the middle. He blocked, but the sheer power of the strike knocked him to the ground. Percy went through the gap in the middle and the Ares campers couldn't catch him. They had power and strength, but they didn't have much agility or speed. He picked up the flag and sprinted towards the river and saw an Apollo camper on the other team with the flag in the same situation he was in. Percy knew the Apollo camper would make it before him, so he played his most desperate card and threw his sword like a javelin towards the Apollo camper. He didn't realize he had the strength to throw it that fast, but he did. The sword was going about 20 MPH. The Apollo camper dived to the side in fear of getting killed; a sword going that fast is enough to skewer you. Percy had a clean path, so he dived into the river and laid there, exhausted.

The whole camp came to celebrate and congratulate Percy. He was still laying in the river, but he seemed to have been refreshed. He jumped out and felt great, thanks to his heritage. And to top off his night, a glowing trident appeared at the top of his head. He'd been claimed.

 **A/N: Nice, long (ish) chapter with almost 1800 words. Would've posted earlier, but I had to scrap the earliest version I made for this. The first version was literal garbage. Well, hopefully this version is better than the first, not like you guys could know.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 7

Third Person POV

Living in a cabin by yourself had its ups and downs. Percy liked living in the Poseidon cabin, but it got eerily quiet at times. However, it sure was better than being cramped in the Hermes cabin. Percy had just woken up after he got claimed. Percy had overexerted himself. Yesterday had taken its toll, and Percy felt like shit just about everywhere. He groaned. A strained tendon here, a bruise there. He decided to head to the shower to clean (and heal) himself.

Percy limped to breakfast. He had a table to himself, which was a plus, but he didn't have anyone to talk to; a minus. He munched on his pancakes absentmindedly until Annabeth called him over. "Percy, could you follow me?"

It didn't sound much like a request, so he went after Annabeth.

Turns out, Annabeth was heading for the Big House. Mr. D and Chiron looked as if they were waiting for him. Percy entered the place and sat down on a chair. Dionysus looked tired and beat, like he just argued with someone. Chiron looked conflicted, like he had a tough dilemma and couldn't decide which option was better.

"Percy." Chiron called. "Let's cut to the chase (haha, like Annabeth's last name?). We need you on a quest."

Annabeth's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Um, what's a quest?" Percy didn't know what a quest was.

"Well, in a nutshell, first you go to the Oracle and get a prophecy for advice about a certain task that needs to be complete. Then, you use the prophecy to guide you as you complete said task. Often, you will need to venture across America." Chiron explained, seeing Percy's confused expression.

"Why do we need a quest?" Percy asked.

"It seems something important on Olympus was stolen, and the gods are fighting over who stole it." Chiron expressed.

"What thing?"

"The most powerful weapon in the arsenal of the gods. Zeus's master bolt."

Percy was dumbfounded. Who would be dumb enough to steal the master bolt? "Who do they think did it?"

Chiron took a deep breath. "They said Poseidon was at the head of the operation, and got someone who was on his side to steal it for him. They think… you did it."

Silence. Percy was shocked. He regained his composure and concluded, "Then I need to go on a quest, getting the bolt form the person who actually stole the bolt. Right?"

"Yes. Now, the Oracle is in the attic." Chiron said.

Percy walked up the creaky steps into the dusty attic. He was looking for the Oracle when he sneezed, possibly from the dust inhalation. A mummy-like… thing, responding form the noise, had stepped out of the corner, previously invisible to the eye.

" _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaker of prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seeker and ask._ it (literally) hissed.

The voice creeped the fuck out of Percy. He gathered up his courage and asked, "What is my destiny?"

The Oracle paused for second, then started:

" _You shall go west and face the god who has turned_

 _You shall find what was stolen and see it safely returned_

 _A group shall be founded with a pair of two_

 _Beginning to cause the fatal flaw of Olympus to undo._

Percy paused. He walked downstairs, now with _more_ shit on his mind.

-Line Break-

Chiron seeing Percy's distrait face, advised, "I see you need some guidelines. Who do you think is 'the god who has turned?' What god do you think wants justice, after millennia after being unrepresented, isolated, and unloved?"

Percy thought about it. "Hades. Lord of the Dead. Wait, if Olympus is so parinoad about Hades, then why don't they suspect he stole Zeus's bolt?"

"The Helm of Darkness, Hades's symbol of power, was also stolen. Giving up your symbol is in insane gamble; no one thinks Hades would risk that much."

Percy nodded. "Anything about the other 3 lines?"

"The other 3 lines appear to not have any other hidden messages." Chiron took a deep breath. "Well, seeing you are ready for your quest, take 2 other people, and leave first thing tomorrow morning. Good luck on your journey west."

Percy walked out of the Big House. Who would he take on the quest? He probably would take Annabeth. He mustered up his courage and asked, "Annabeth. Uhmm… do you want to go on the quest?" Percy asked.

She smiled. "Sure. See you tomorrow morning, then."

One down, two to go. The only people he knew camp, other than Annabeth, were Grover and Luke. Grover was Percy's friend, but he wasn't exactly a great fighter. He'd rather take Luke, but he didn't want to offend Grover. He needed to clear his mind, so he went to the sparring grounds. Luke just happened to be there.

"Hey Percy." Luke said.

"Hey. You want to spar?" Percy asked.

He shrugged. "Why not?"

They got into position and started circling each other. Luke started out the offensive; pushing Percy and sending barrages of strikes towards him. Percy was just able to fend them off, but he was looking for a pattern, anything he could us to his advantage. Soon, he found an opening: Luke had swung too hard and Percy deflected his blow. When Luke was regaining his balance, he used the flat of his blade to hit Luke in his exposed side. Unfortunately, Percy had a surge of strength at that moment and crushed Luke to the other side of the arena. Percy rushed over to Luke's side, afraid he had killed him.

"Luke!" Percy cried.

He coughed. "Shit. Where'd you get that strength?"

"Oh shit! I thought I'd killed you." Percy called.

Luke chuckled. "Almost."

"Ummm… this is bad timing, but do you want to go on a quest with me? Annabeth is also coming." He blurted out. The thought slipped out of his mind; not even considering Grover.

Luke considered it for a second, then shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

Percy mentally pumped his fist and clapped Luke on his back in celebration. Luke cringed. "Back still hurts."

"Oops. Sorry." Percy apologized.

-Line Break-

The crack of dawn signaled as an alarm for the three questing demigods. They packed up their stuff and headed out. Chiron had booked them a bus and gave them each 100$ and 10 drachmas. They headed to the bus stop, which would take them to St. Louis if there weren't any delays. However, when you're a demigod, that you really shouldn't count on that.

"I'm bored. Anything to do?" Percy whined.

"I brought cards." Annabeth offered.

"Let's go." Luke smiled.

They played 'Go Fish' to pass the time. Annabeth had won all the games so far. You can't beat a child of Athena in any card game. However, the game they were playing right now was different. Percy was about to win when the bus abruptly stopped. Suddenly, the bus shook and a _CRASH!_ A hole was blown through the bus. Three old bat-women stepped out of the hole as mortals screamed and rushed out of the bus.

Percy swore. "Damn. I had that game of 'Go Fish,' too."

Annabeth rolled her eyes while Luke chuckled.

"What are they?" Percy questioned.

Annabeth paled. "It's only a suspicion, but… they could be… The Furies."

Luke cursed. "Just our luck."

"Great. Now two insanely powerful gods hate me. What's the plan?" Percy asked.

"It's 3 on 3. Each of us will get one. OK?" Annabeth proposed.

Everyone agreed and they went after the servants of Hades. Percy got the one in the middle, Annabeth got the left, and Luke got the right. Percy drew Riptide and charged. The Fury hissed and slashed at Percy. He ducked and thrusted his sword at the middle of the Fury. However, with a speed unknown to someone who appeared that old, it backed up and slashed at Percy. Percy cringed as the talons drew blood. He looked to his left; Annabeth wasn't doing too well, either. She looked to be in the same position as Percy, with a cut drawing blood on her arm. Luke was currently slashing at his Fury, looking for an opening he could exploit. Percy composed himself and attacked again, this time pushing on the offensive. Suddenly, a surge of strength washed through his body and, seizing his opportunity, he swung with all his might at the Fury. It tried to block, but was cut clean through the middle. It fell to the ground, dissolving. Now, 2 on 3, the demigods teamed up and easily won the battle. The only problem: They had no ride, and lost their stuff on the wrecked bus.

"Fuck those Furies. We lost our ride _and_ our stuff. Plus, I'm hungry. What do we do?" Percy groaned.

Luke pointed to a place over there. It read _AUNTY EM'S GARDEN GNOME EMPORIUM_. There seemed to be a little diner in the back, which smelled like food.

Percy, intoxicated by the smell of hamburgers, headed towards the place like a compass needle to north. Luke and Annabeth shrugged and followed.

Inside, there were all sorts of statues. They varied from human, demigod, satyr, anything. However, they had two things in common: they were made of stone, and they looked horrified. Percy, however, barely noticed The smell of greasy food was heaven to him. He stepped into the diner. A woman, with a shawl over her head, stepped out. "Hello sweetheart. Would you like something to eat?"

Just then, Luke and Annabeth stepped in the room. "Percy! Don't… Oh."

Luke and Annabeth seemed to have an argument with their eyes. Annabeth won. "Percy," she said. "Can I see you in the other room?" It sounded like a threat.

Percy, knowing Annabeth's intimidation factor, snapped out of his daze. "OK."

The woman in the shawl noticed Percy was snapping out out his daze. Knowing her grip was about to slip, tried to regain it. "Don't you want a hamburger? I won't charge you."

Percywas tempted at first, but then he mentally raised an eyebrow. _Who would give out free hamburgers? If someone did, society would fall apart. This is a trick; she's a monster!_ He pulled out Riptide and blindly swung. A _flump!_ and something warm and wet rolled next to his foot. He retched and struggled not to barf up his insides.

It was a good thing Percy was blocking Medusa's head from Luke and Annabeth. They stood there, shocked. Percy warned them not to look. He closed his eyes and put the shawl over Medusa's head. He sat on a chair, breathing heavy.

After an awkward silence, Luke spoke up. "Anyone up for hamburgers?"

They all agreed. They were _that_ hungry. Hey, hunger is a powerful force.

 **r10roce- you're not supposed to know. I haven't revealed it... yet.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 8

Third Person POV

The mood in Olympus was joyous. What, after the 'Fate of Olympus rests on the shoulders of one person' had been replaced by the undoing of Olympus's fatal flaw? The gods were chatting away with smiles on their faces, despite the implications of looming war. If Zeus didn't get his bolt back, he'd declare war on Poseidon for 'sabotaging the gods.'

Athena furrowed her eyebrow. She was in her palace, thinking. She was supposed to be doing all sorts of boring paperwork for various gods, but even for the goddess of wisdom that's boring as hell. Her mind slipped to the prophecy, like it often did these days. The gods were celebrating too hard, too fast and too easily. Sure, after bouts of bad news, she understood why they were eager to accept better, but this seemed… like it had a double meaning. What did they say Olympus's fatal flaw was again?

The door suddenly being opened separated Athena's mind from reality. She saw Hephaestus limping into her room. "Hephaestus. What do you need?"

"A-Athena. Wan-Wanna grab some nectar and ambrosia together tonight?" He nervously stuttered.

Athena paled. Did Hephaestus ask her out? She thought rationally and organized her thoughts on him. She liked him well enough. He was reasonable, as the smartest male Olympian, and nice. On the minus, he wasn't too sharp in the 'looks' department. And she was a MAIDEN GODDESS.

"Uhhh… sorry Hephaestus. I'm… busy." Athena insisted. "It was nice seeing you."

She shut the door on poor Hephaestus, who looked like his mother went missing. (haha)

-Line Break-

After the Medusa situation, they slept and then borrowed (stole) clothing, food, money, and bikes. They biked to train stations in New Jersey, but none had trains that went beyond Cleveland. They had to bike to Philadelphia to find a train that went to Los Angeles.

"Do you have any tickets to Los Angeles?" Annabeth inquired at the station.

The ticket-seller checked on the computer. "Hmm… Yup. Train leaves at 7 in the evening."

The group thanked him and decided to spend some time in the City of Brotherly Love. They went to the Liberty Bell first.

"Ugh. I waited an hour to see a cracked piece of metal that you can't even touch or ring? Not worth my time." Percy complained after they exited the national monument.

"It's a national monument! It symbolizes the American Revolution and the Liberty of American citizens over the British-" Annabeth lectured before getting cut off by Luke.

Neither Luke nor Percy wanted to listen a lecture given by Annabeth about something even vaguely educational. Luke mediated, "It was free, so I won't complain."

The group left it at that.

They had a Philly Cheesesteak for lunch. That was before everything went wrong. They were going to go to City Hall, but they were… interrupted along the way to say the least. They were walking downtown before Percy heard a _grrrrr!_

"Guys, draw your weapons!" Percy advised.

Percy's instincts proved to be right. A massive army of hellhounds suddenly appeared and attacked the three demigods. They yelped in surprise and drew their weapons. Percy gulped. "Just our luck."

They got to work. They destroyed the hellhounds relatively easily, but the fact that there were so many was wearing them down. The screaming mortals didn't help much either.

"Why are there so many of these damn things?" Percy grunted as he slashed through another hellhound.

"Dunno. Someone could have summoned them to harm us? But why only hellhounds? They're not the strongest." Luke responded and he dodged an attack.

Annabeth looked lost in thought; she was absentmindedly battling the hellhounds. Suddenly, her face lit up. "RUN!"

The group looked puzzled at first. Sure, this was tiring, but hard? Not really. But they knew better than to argue with Annabeth, so they ran with her.

"Why are we running?" Percy huffed as he ran.

"Those were obviously distractions. Whoever spawned them wanted to tire us out before they send in a real threat." Annabeth guessed.

Luke nodded. It made sense. "What do we do?"

"That's what I'm not sure about. We could either hide, and wait for the train, or run. We still have our bikes at the station.

Suddenly, a bloodthirsty, agonizing, loud roar was heard in the distance. The group looked at each other. No words were necessary. The scream had made their decision for them.

-Line Break-

It was night. Percy, Luke and Annabeth were biking down I-95 south at around 10:00.

"Rest stop in 5 miles. You guys want to call it a day there?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Luke didn't want to admit it, but they were tired.

Percy turned around and looked at Annabeth and Luke, which took some skill. He was riding a bike, after all. As thick as Percy was, one look and he could tell they were both tired. "You guys look really tired. We're going to the rest stop and sleeping."

Funny thing, Percy was also tired and didn't want to admit it.

They went to the rest stop: _CHESAPEAKE HOUSE TRAVEL PLAZA._

They parked their bikes outside and fell asleep.

When they woke up, they looked at the map inside the travel arena. They currently were in northeast Maryland.

"What do we do now?" Percy asked.

"Our options are riding the bus, train, or car." Annabeth concluded. "We can't fly, because that's not only expensive, but it's also Zeus's domain. He'll smite you out of the sky."

"Let's rent a car. We can't wait for the train schedule; monsters will attack us in the meantime. Our scent is too strong." Luke suggested.

"None of us have a driver's license." Annabeth asked, concerned.

"We can just control the Mist." Luke advised.

"How do you do that?" Percy inquired.

"I'll tell you later. I would now, but monsters would come." Luke said.

They biked out of the rest stop.

The nearest car rental service was about 50 miles away, so they had to spend the whole morning biking. They rented a car and headed out.

While Luke was driving, Percy thought about what his life had in store for him. What would he do about the 'overthrow Zeus' prophecy? Was he for or against it? Zeus couldn't be that bad. Maybe Poseidon just wanted to take over and was using Percy and the prophecy as a tool. He wished he could talk to Hera, his mom, but Poseidon said she was 'unavailable.' What did that mean? And who was his real dad? Poseidon didn't even know; did anyone? Thinking about this could be pointless. Prophecies always come true, sooner or later. Fighting against them was no use, right? Sometimes it was better to know 'what to do' than 'why something happened.' This could be one of those situations. Percy didn't notice Luke and Annabeth yelling until he was punched on the shoulder, hard.

"PERCY!" Annabeth yelled.

He snapped out of his daze. "Ow. What?"

"We're going to the Pennsylvania Welcome Center to get some gas. You wanna use the restroom?" Annabeth asked.

They had been driving for over an hour. Percy was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't even realize that. He also realized his bladder was full.

"Yeah, okay." Percy responded.

-Line Break-

Annabeth estimated it would take 40 hours to drive to Los Angles, without stopping. With gas, eating, and sleeping, she estimated it would take almost 3 days to get there. The first day was uneventful, which should've been good, as it meant no monster attacks, but a day traveling down I-70 cramped in a car with 3 ADHD demigods was not fun. They were stuck playing boring, childish games like 'I Spy' and 'The License Plate Game.' However, at St. Louis, they were delayed.

Annabeth was navigating the map. "OK, go to I-55… then I-44."

"Alright. I'll just…" Luke commented before a car cut across their left.

Luke honked the horn. "Hey! Let me get on I-55!"

The other car wouldn't budge.

Luke gave the driver the bird and swore as the exit passed by. "What a dick! We couldn't even get in the right lane."

Percy, who had zoned out, and was lost in thought, asked what happened. "What? I heard someone swear."

"We were gonna take I-55, but some dick cut us off and we couldn't get in the right lane. We're stuck in I-270." Luke grumbled.

Annabeth looked deep in thought. "That couldn't have been a mortal. He was probably a monster trying to delay our quest and prevent us from taking the right exit."

"Great. What detour to take?" Luke shook his head.

"Hmm… Well, we can head to the north. We'll stay on I-70. We'll cross Denver, then head on I-15 and head south." Annabeth said as she studied the map.

"Great. Let's go." Luke said.

They started their detour to the Mile-High City.

At Russel, Kansas, the group decided to stop and eat lunch. However, when Percy drank from the water fountain, Chiron came up.

Percy jumped back. "Holy- What the heck? Chiron?"

"Percy! Thank the Lord…s. The connection is weak; I don't have much time. I just received notice that the bolt was due in 10 days when I gave you the quest. You guys have… a week left." Chiron said.

"Before what?" Percy asked.

"Before… Zeus declares war on Poseidon." Chiron stammered.

Percy stood there, shocked.

"Tell Luke and Annabeth." Chiron swiped thought the Iris-Message. Percy went to go find Annabeth and Luke.

Luke and Annabeth were eating a sub outside. For a second, they looked like regular mortals. Chatting, kughing and eating without a care in the world. Percy didn't want to ruin the mood, but he had to.

"Percy! These subs are great. I got you the-" Luke said before he looked at Percy's expression. "What's wrong?"

He gulped. "Chiron just Iris-Messaged me. He said we had a week to deliver the bolt before… Zeus declares war on Poseidon."

 **A/N: I feel as if no one likes the Percy/Hestia pairing. Any other non-overdone pairings (Percy/Zoe and Percy/Artemis) you'd like? And IMO Percy/Annabeth isn't overdone. There's only a lot of them because of one-shots and 'After the War' types of stories. For stories that actually rewrite the plot (like this one), the pairing is usually Percy/Thalia or Percy/Zoe.**

 **FYI: I'm not pairing Percy with any guys, Thalia, or Hera.**

 **Also, those rest stops/roads are real places. I had to like, study Google Maps.**

 **Have a nice day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Longest chapter yet; over 2000 words. One of my favorites, too. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 9

Third Person POV

Denver was sighted in the evening. The group was hungry, so they crashed at a generic burger restaurant: _Mercer's Burgers_ (I honestly don't know; I guess it sort of rhymes.) A middle-aged lady walked up to Percy, Annabeth and Luke.

"Yeah, Can I hav-" Percy started before being cut off.

A rumble was heard and a biker who was dressed in a blood red leather jacket made of… human skin… swaggered into the joint like he owned it. His aura made Percy want to rip his head off, but he contained it. "Put the tab on me."

" _I asked._ " Percy mentally rolled his eyes.

The god, who he was sure was Ares, chuckled like he had known what Percy thought. "I like your attitude. I'm sure another god would kill you for that… But I'll let it slide. Let's eat."

They sat down and finished their meal. Percy's hatred for Ares grew by the minute: the way he looked at those girls, how he acted like owned the place, and how he felt as if he was better than everyone here.

Percy finished his meal, then started, "I assume you're Ares?"

Ares cleared his throat. "Guessed right. Anyway kid, about the quest, I was going on a date with my girlfriend, and I left something behind. You help me get it and you earn the respect of an Olympian."

Percy frowned. "That's it? Why would I want _your_ respect?"

Ares's eyes flared. "Watch it kid. I could squash you like a bug."

Percy snorted. "Sure you could. Can't even remember where you left your shit."

"We'd be honored to fetch what you lost, Lord Ares." Annabeth hastily intervened.

Ares mood softened, probably form being called 'Lord Ares.' "OK. I left my shield at a place called 'Waterland.' It's in its 'Tunnel of Love.' Good luck."

Percy looked as if was about to insult Ares again; Luke and Annabeth had to cover his mouth and leave before they were all killed.

-Line Break-

"Percy, what had gotten into you? You don't say those things to an Olympian god!" Annabeth scolded.

"Well, he was being a dick!" Percy countered.

Annabeth looked as if she agreed, but didn't want to say it. She changed the topic. "Don't swear!"

"Since when have you cared?"

Luke chuckled.

"What?" Annabeth asked, annoyed.

"Nothing, it's just you two are like mother and son." Luke joked.

Annabeth and Percy were quiet the rest of the trip.

After 15 fairly awkward minutes of silence, the trio trudged up to the abandoned water park. Luke pickpocketed the gate lock and they went in and looked for the 'Tunnel of Love.'

"Why would Ares and Aphrodite meet in places like these? They're Olympians! Go to like, a 5-star restaurant." Percy said.

"I don't know. Unless…" Annabeth thought.

"Unless what?" Percy asked.

Annabeth didn't hear Percy. Once a child of Athena got started with an idea, there were as approachable as a rock.

After some time, they found the rusty old ride: _TUNNEL OF LOVE._ They looked down the slide, and there it was: a gleaming celestial bronze shield glowing in the darkness. Suddenly, Annabeth signaled for them to stop. "This is too easy. Guys, I think I know why Ares sent us to get it."

"Why?" Luke asked.

"Think about it. Percy was right, this isn't exactly the best place for two gods to meet. The only reason why they'd meet here is either they don't want to be seen or caught." Annabeth reasoned.

"Who would want to catch them?" Luke wondered.

"Hephaestus. The blacksmith god." Percy concluded.

"Right. Ares and Aphrodite must have been caught here last time, and Ares left his shield here." Annabeth finalized. "How do we get it out without triggering some sort of trap?"

Percy thought about it. "We can throw something at it to push it down the slide."

"What to throw?" Luke questioned.

Percy drew his sword out and threw it down the slide. Unluckily, a surge of power coursed through Percy's veins at just the wrong moment. " _Why does this always happen when I throw swords?_ " The sword should have just nudged the shield down the slide, but now the celestial bronze it clashed against itself and left a huge dent.

Luke and Annabeth stood there, shocked. How had Percy managed to dent Ares's favorite shield? Percy turned around with a sheepish look. "Uhhh… Let's just go get Ares's shield.

-Line Break-

The trio had returned to the restaurant with the shield. Ares met them outside the restaurant. He looked impressed until he saw the huge dent in his shield. "Nice job. I see you survived Hepha- Hey! What the hell happened to my shield?"

"I dunno. Probably was like that before, could have damaged it when you ran away like a-" Percy lied before Ares interjected.

"Kid, I know you're lying. I think you damaged my shield on purpose." Ares hissed.

"Well, _kid_ ," Percy spat, "I think you're a pussy who can't fight his own battles. _Oh, mighty God of War, relies on us to get the stuff he leaves behind on the battles he cowardly runs away from._ "

"Shut up kid. I'd kill you in a heartbeat if I had the time." Ares seethed.

"More like the _mighty God of War_ wants to save his ass from getting whopped by a little _lowly demigod_ like me." Percy chucked mirthlessly. At first it was Ares's aura, but now he was really getting on Percy's nerves.

"Percy…" Annabeth warned.

"THAT'S IT! YOU THINK YOU'RE SO GOOD? I'LL KILL YOU!" Ares roared with barely contained rage.

Ares pulled out his sword and started to swing it at Percy. Percy pulled out Riptide and with surprising strength, he cleanly met his strike. He then punched Ares in the face while he gaped at Percy's strength. He stumbled back, ichor pouring out of his broken nose. Ares regained his composure and yelled as he charged back toward Percy, determined to chop him in two. Ares swung and their swords met in the middle. Big mistake. The power of Percy's strike cracked Ares's blade. It wasn't broken, but useless in battle. Ares's jaw dropped in disbelief. He grabbed another sword (he kept a lot on hand for situations like these) and charged again. Percy sighed. He hadn't learned his lesson. Ares started to hack away at Percy. Each strike grew more desperate and less accurate. Percy was fending them off with ease, tiring Ares out. Ares yelled in frustration and tried to spear Percy's stomach. Percy easily disarmed him and raised him by the throat. Ares was speechless as Percy… well, he took his fists and beat the shit out of him.

-Line Break-

The trio went back in the diner, got Ares's bag and shield, threw a $50 bill on the table and headed out. Ares was a bloody heap on the ground.

"Wait, I have an idea." Percy said.

They threw him in the dumpster for good measure, covered him in trash bags, and headed west.

Percy hadn't realized how strong he was, or the energy he expended. He dozed off in the car.

Annabeth POV

I shouldn't swear… but what the fuck? Percy just beat up a god. Not just any god, an Olympian God. Not just any Olympian God, but the GOD OF WAR HIMSELF, Ares. I looked out the window, watching the Rocky Mountains go by. How was Percy that strong? He even managed to crack Ares's blade. I looked at Luke in the rearview mirror. His expression was the same as mine… but I think I saw doubt for a moment.

It was only about 8 o'clock; I wasn't that tired or sleepy. And even if I was, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep; my mind was too busy thinking about Percy's strength. Children of Zeus were supposed to be strong, not children of Poseidon. Well, only come to think about it, only Hercules was known for his strength… also, Theseus wasn't exactly weak... I sighed. This didn't make sense. We trudged along I-70: watching the Rocky Mountains, our ears popping, and passing the continental divide. A sign passed by: _UTAH WELCOMES YOU!_ Followed by: _WELCOME CENTER: 30 MILES_ (Seriously. The welcome center in Utah is literally 30 miles from its border.)

"Luke. Wanna call it a day at the Welcome Center?" I asked.

"Yeah." Luke responded.

-Line Break-

"Percy!" I called. "Wake up!"

He groaned in his sleep but didn't budge.

"I have an idea." Luke said. He took some ice form the nearest machine and poured some on Percy.

This had no effect. A son of Poseidon doesn't get wet unless he wants too.

I rolled my eyes. "Luke. That was dumb."

He sheepishly said, "I dunno. Works in the movies."

I had an idea. I mentally apologized to Percy as I slapped him across the face. He jolted awake.

"OW! Who did that?" He complained.

Luke quickly uttered, "Annabeth."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

I tried telling him that that was the only to wake him up, but he was still grumbling. We got on the car and drove ahead.

We drove for 6 hours toward Los Angeles. At around noon, we stopped at Las Vegas for lunch. However, when we wanted to exit the restaurant, our car couldn't start up.

"Damn it. What to do?" Luke grumbled.

We walked to the nearest car repair shop. The mechanic said it was an easy fix; only taking about 30 minutes, but it would take $500 dollars. We only had $100.

"Great. What do we do? We need to make money." I mused.

"Why don't we just take the bus? That's cheaper." Percy asked.

"Because, the first bus left at 8:00AM . The next is at 5:00PM. While we wait, we'll run into the same problem as Philly: Monsters." Luke said.

"Great. How do we make money?" Percy asked.

We looked around us. A sign: _LOTUS HOTEL AND CASINO_.

"Annabeth. You know how you can never lose to children of Athena in card games?" Percy questioned.

"Yes, but-" I caught Percy's drift. "I AM NOT GAMBLING!" I shouted the last part.

"Well, that's our only option." Percy expressed.

-Line Break-

Third Person POV

They walked into the hotel. The lobby was filled with people on gaming machines. An attendant walked up to them, "Hello! Welcome to the Lotus Hotel and Casino. Here are your guest cards to access your rooms. Enjoy your stay!"

He forced the card into the trio's hands. They decided not to question this.

"Okay. We get the money, then get out." Percy started. "Okay?"

We walked up to the poker table. Annabeth got dealt in and started killing everyone there. We had nearly $1000 dollars before I realized Annabeth was getting hooked.

"BAM! Another hand won! You guys wanna challenge me? GET ON MY LEVEL!" she trash-talked.

"Annabeth!" Percy said. "Let's leave."

"No! not until one of these scrubs can beat me!" Annabeth threatened.

"Annabeth. We have over $500. The quest! Remember?" Percy pressed.

A glossy expression appeared over Annabeth. She seemed to snap out of a daze. "You're right. Let's go. But first, where's Luke?"

Percy and Annabeth looked for Luke all over the place. They found him on one of the machines playing… Was that game called 'Justice to the Olympians?'

"Yeah Dad… That's what you get… neglecting your children… Kronos will be better than you! When war breaks out from _grandpa's_ bolt and _grand uncle's_ helmet that I stole form those arrogant, carefree bastards," Luke seethed. "The gods shall no longer neglect their children! A new golden age will come!"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and paled.

"Luke… he's evil? He's allying with Kronos? And he stole the bolt? What the hell?" Percy whispered.

Annabeth looked shocked. She gulped, like she was theorizing about something. "Percy. Check your bag."

Percy unzipped it open. There they were. A bolt of lightning that cackled with electricity, and a helmet that radiated fear. The keys to war on Olympus.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Finishing The Lightning Thief this chapter. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 10

"We gotta get out of here before Luke gets bored of that game!" Annabeth panicked.

The exited the hotel. "Great. Let's return the items before Luke notices." Percy said.

They rushed outside and felt something was off, like the weather would storm at any second. They also heard a mattress salesman yelling, "25% off mattresses this weekend!"

" _Weekend?_ " It was a Monday when they entered the hotel…

They asked someone on the street the date, who checked his phone and replied with "June 20th."

They spent nearly a week in the casino. They had a little over a day left to complete their quest.

-Line Break-

"What do we do?" Annabeth asked.

Percy sighed. "Our only option is splitting up. Annabeth, buy plane tickets to New York City and return Zeus's master bolt. I'll have to go to LA and to the Underworld to give Hades his helmet back."

They agreed. With all the money Annabeth got, they had more than enough to fly there. The problem was Percy. He knew he couldn't take the bus, monsters would come in the meantime. Annabeth was safer waiting in an airport, but Percy would be in the open waiting for a bus. He tried asking taxis, but they wouldn't head out of Nevada. He had to call an Uber.

They cruised along I-15 South silently. He realized: he didn't know where the entrance to the Underworld even was. He was trusting that Hades's minions would go and pick them up, which wasn't exactly reliable. He'd just have to play the odds like he always did.

-Line Break-

They arrived at Los Angles at night. Percy was tired and hungry, so he crashed at an average 3-star motel. When he was showering, he was interrupted by Chiron. Percy yelped and covered his privates.

"AHH! Chiron, you scared me! I'm showering!" Percy shrieked.

"Oops. Sorry." Chiron sheepishly uttered.

Percy stepped out of the shower and dried off. He created a rainbow in the restroom with his clothes on this time. "Chiron, what's wrong?"

"We couldn't contact you for 6 days. Camp thought… you were dead. What happened?" Chiron gravely stated.

Percy paled. He didn't know he caused that much stress in camp. He started recollecting his thoughts about the quest and told Chiron. "…and I'm in Los Angles, praying that Hades will send one of his minions to collect the Helm of Darkness."

Chiron thought about it, then advised, "Send Hades an Iris-Message. He'll accept, because he knows you'll be returning his Helm."

Percy thanked Chiron and said goodbye. He sacrificed a drachma and stated, "O Iris, Goddess of the Rainbow, Accept my offering. Show me Hades, god of the Underworld."

The image shimmered and Hades showed up. "Who are you?"

Percy said, "Hades. I have your Helm of Darkness. I've come to return it."

"YOU? You stole it!?" Hades raged.

"No. Someone I know called Luke did. I took it from him and I'm going to return it to you. However, I have no idea where the entrance to the Underworld is… So, if you'd tell me, that'd be great." Percy explained.

"Ok." Hades grumbled, knowing defeat. "It's at…"

-Line Break-

Percy stood at the door of _DOA RECORDING STUDIOS_. It was the next day; He had less than 12 hours to complete the quest. Percy entered the building and saw who he assumed was Charon, who was reading some paperwork.

"Who are you?" He asked without looking up.

"I've come to return Hades's helmet." Percy stated.

Charon looked up and followed his orders. "Right this way."

They headed into the Underworld. The recently departed souls started at Percy with empty sockets, boring into him. He forced himself not to look. They traveled along the Styx.

Percy headed into Hades's throne room. He looked up at Hades. "I have come to return your helmet."

Hades was expressionless. "I thank you for returning it. However, I'd like to hear what happened in the first place."

Percy told Hades the quest. His face remained the same: a mask with no emotion. He nodded at times, but that was it. When Percy finished, he handed over the helmet.

A slight smile washed over Hades's face. He looked at Percy… but this time with a bit of thankfulness. Percy gave him a small nod, as if he was saying "you're welcome." As Percy went to leave, Hades yelled, "Wait!"

Percy turned his head around. "Yeah?"

"You're the son of Seaweed?" Hades asked.

Percy thought about it. He was, but wasn't. However, that moment of indecision was all Hades needed.

"Come with me." It wasn't a request.

Percy paled. Did Hades know he wasn't Poseidon's son? Did that moment of indecision blow his cover? He considered his options: running or following him. This was Hades's territory. He lost his bargaining chip in the helmet, so unfortunately, following was his only option. He followed Hades to wherever he wanted to go.

Hades led Percy to the bedroom. He locked the door behind them and then picked up a cup filled with clear white liquid that made Percy sleepy. Hades waved his hand, and the room shimmered for a second.

"I won't beat around the bush. Are you Hera's son?" Hades pressed.

Percy paled. He considered lying, but that wouldn't help. "Yes."

Hades nodded and put the cup of liquid down. "I've always wanted to meet you. Hera told me about the plan, and about how you were key to my spot on Olympus."

Percy was stunned. He just realized Hades was in on Hera's plan, which meant he had to swallow his pride and to admit he was underrepresented. That was unheard of for any god. He had always thought of the Lord of the Dead as mean, merciless and cruel, but hearing this, he was out better than he had originally thought. Sure, he wasn't exactly _nice_ , but fair for certain.

"How'd you know it was me?" Percy asked.

"Well, Hera told me I would get the feeling." he explained, "I brought the Lethe water. I also shielded this room from the gods' vision with a Mist barrier."

"Anyway, I didn't call you here for no reason. I need to give you a mission. I'm going to teleport you to the New York airport. You will have to wipe Annabeth's memory and make her forget about Luke's thievery with this Lethe water." he held up the cup.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Hades responded with, "Luke is crucial to Hera's plan. If you don't wipe Annabeth's memory, she will expose Luke and his traitorous ways. He'll be exiled or killed, and Hera's plan will be foiled."

Percy was skeptical. "How do I know you're not with Kronos?"

Hades stated without hesitation, "I Hades, god of the Underworld, dead and riches, swear on my immortality that I am not working with Kronos or on his side. I am in on Hera's plan."

Percy paled. He thought Hades would swear on the Styx; swearing on your immortality was _that_ much more imposing than swearing on the Styx.

"After you wipe Annabeth's memory," Hades continued, "say the words _ad infernum demergeris_. You will be returned to the Underworld. You will then pick up Luke and head back to Olympus."

Percy agreed to follow Hades's plan. He took an eye dropper full of Lethe water and Hades transported him to JFK Airport.

-Line Break-

Percy felt he had just sprinted. He was tired, but not spent. The sign read: _FLIGHT 506 NOW ARRIVING IN TERMINAL 28_. Percy waited for about 15 minutes until Annabeth came out of the terminal.

"Percy! How are you here?" Annabeth questioned.

"Because Annabeth," Percy started as he walked toward her, "Hades gave me a mission." He figured he shouldn't lie, because lying is bad. And pointless in this situation.

Annabeth looked confused. Before she could do anything about it, He dropped the Lethe water on Annabeth. Her expression turned blank. Percy then picked her up, sat her down on one of the terminal waiting room chairs , and uttered, " _ad infernum demergeris!_ "

-Line Break-

The tiring sensation swept over Percy again. He formed back in the Underworld.

"Did you do it?" Hades asked.

"Yup." Percy stated. "Oh, and out of pure curiosity, what will Annabeth remember?"

"She'll remember that she has the master bolt, which Ares stole along with my Helm of Darkness. She's returning the bolt to Zeus, while you and Luke are in the Underworld, returning my helmet back to me." Hades replied.

Percy nodded. "Thought it through?"

Hades laughed. "When Persephone isn't here, I have all the time in the world to think about my chi- orders."

Percy nodded. He felt bad for Hades; it must be boring down here without Persephone. He didn't even notice Hades's near slip-up.

"Also, take this. You'll know when to use it. Our time is over. Good luck. It was nice to meet… Hera's son." Hades said.

Percy exited the Underworld with a new impression of the Lord of the Dead. He was a lot better than he originally thought.

-Line Break-

~A day later

Percy, along with Luke and Annabeth headed to Olympus to meet with the gods. All was well on Olympus, at least for now. They walked up to the throne room.

"Well. Our heroes have returned." Zeus boomed.

Percy looked around for his dad, Poseidon, and his mom. Hera. He smiled at the sight of both. He looked at all the Olympians. Ares didn't look happy, but he looked… scared? Also, was it him or did Hestia look different?

Zeus had his master bolt and the quest was complete, but Luke and Percy had yet to meet Zeus, so they were here.

Zeus started to drone on about a speech of the Olympians and the heroes' bravery. Percy pretended to listen for the most of it, but he was staring at his mom the whole time. She seemed so warm and nice. He didn't know why people said she had a bad temper. She smiled, and looked so kind, like she'd never hurt a fly.

Zeus finished his speech and concluded the meeting. Percy ran over to his dad and said hi. He wanted to see his mom, but that would blow his cover. However, when Percy saw Hera go by, he gave her a wink. She blushed.

-Line Break-

Summer passed by. The rest of June, July and August was a dream. Camp was nice, Percy had made tons of friends and he was having a blast. He had almost forgot about Hades's objectives. Almost, if not for the vial he kept in his pocket. It was enchanted like Riptide to always return to his pocket. Every time he touched it, he was reminded what "the right time to use it" meant.

On the last day of Camp, Percy was in his cabin contemplating wither staying year-round or just for the summer when Luke walked up to him.

"Hey Percy, wanna go on a walk for me?" Luke asked.

His instincts warned him not to, but he thought of Hades's quest… nothing interesting had happened with Luke for the rest of the summer. He assumed this was his chance. Plus, his vial would protect him.

He accepted and rushed after Luke.

Percy and Luke walked out to the woods. They were in the middle of talking about camp when Luke started getting riled up. He ranted on about the gods cruelty and how he hated them. Percy knew all of this; he was preparing to pull out the vial.

As if on cue, Luke summoned a scorpion. It hissed and shook its tail. Percy acted on instinct. He sliced the scorpion in half. Suddenly, an unbearable pain coursed through his body. He felt himself getting weaker… until he pulled out the vial and ingested it.

Percy gradually felt his strength return to normal. Luke's eyes widened and he started to run.

Percy didn't know where it came from, but he yelled, "LUKE! WAIT! I-I'm on your side."

This got Luke's attention. "What?"

"I agree with you. The gods need to be overthrown. But… I have a different way." Percy explained.

He told Luke about the prophecy, and how he could overthrow the gods and make Olympus a unified council.

Luke considered this. "What's your point?"

The idea came out of nowhere, but he answered, "I want to replace Olympus with a unified council. I'll create a resistance group with demigods, nature spirits and maybe even gods. We can train them and they'll be our own personal army. We'll leave those who don't want to join unharmed, but those who join my group will be rewarded when the prophecy inevitably comes true."

Luke looked impressed, but a wave of doubt evidently washed over his face. "How do I know you're not lying?"

Percy sighed. "I Percy Jackson, swear on the River Styx that the prophecy I said is true."

Luke looked at Percy, long and hard, his eyes boring into Percy. Finally, after a length that was short enough to not be monotonous, but long enough not be be abrupt, he said "I'm in."

They shook.

 **A/N: Lightning Thief Done!**

 **Readers: I need your opinion on something. Should Percy stay at camp year-round? If he does, then I'll probably skip Sea of Monsters or replace it with something else. (that's the worst Percy Jackson book IMO)**

 **FYI: If he goes back to the orphanage, the Sea of Monsters will happen. (with changes, of course.)**

 **Have a nice day.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Haven't updated in a while; went on a vacation. Anyway, churned this out. Sorry about the shorter length, I deleted an earlier finished draft of this, which took up most of my time. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: All rights go to the man, the myth, the legend Rick Riordan.**

Chapter 11

Third Person POV

Smells of breakfast at the orphanage that Percy had accustomed to filled his nose. This was his wake-up call ever since the blizzard. It was January, several months since Percy had seen Luke. Luke was staying year-round, and, pending a disaster, the coup (for lack of a better term) was forming. Percy blinked the sleepiness out of his eyes and yawned. The blizzard had cut the electricity off; he relied on smell to wake him up. Percy didn't like the blizzard, but not for the reason you'd think: the storm fell exactly on winter break, so he couldn't miss any school. He headed downstairs to the kitchen where they were serving the usual breakfast, which was comparable to a continental hotel buffet.

Percy decided to go to the rec room. There was a new kid Percy saw playing pool: black hair, blue eyes, reasonably tall, decent-looking. He had a green shirt that read _BOSTON RED SOX_. Percy immediately didn't like him, or his shirt at the very least, but offered his hand and introduced himself. The new kid took it his hand and replied, "Name's Joshua, but you can call me Josh if you want."

They played pool. Percy crushed him both times. They soon became good friends.

When the blizzard, and winter break, concluded, Percy went back to school. Josh was 12, so he'd be in 6th grade, opposed to Percy in 7th. Josh was one of his few friends outside camp. Percy didn't mind too much, but having someone else sure helped with life in general.

The school year trudged on. Percy didn't like school much, but could scrape B's. He was just mainly waiting for summer.

The last day of school came and went. It was 2:36, the middle of 4th block, when he saw someone sprint through the hallway. Percy would barely even notice, much less care. It was the last day of school: he was thinking about Camp and summer. But a roar shook the building that could only be explained with one way: a monster. He asked to use the restroom and ran out to the hallway.

The kid had run left, so he turned and tore through the hallway. He hoped the monster wasn't a large one. He turned the corner and he halted. Two surprises were in store: one, the monster was already dead. Second, the person standing there, knife in hand, was Josh. They stared at each other: both in shock. Finally, Percy's mind acted. He didn't question the odd circumstances: no satyr, how he got a weapon, or how he fought the monster. He gestured for Josh to follow and they tore out of the school.

-Line Break

"What's going on?" Josh asked.

Percy paused. He didn't know how to answer. He managed out "The Greek Gods are real."

Josh stared, then stayed silent. They ran to the nearest bus stop. Josh asked, "Where are going?"

Percy impatiently sat there, tapping his foot. "Tell you later." Percy didn't like staying in the dark about this, but was afraid he'd mess up and sent Josh in the other direction, thinking this was a practical joke. They boarded the bus and sat in silence. Josh asked Percy to explain further, but all Percy said was he'd tell him later. The bus was full of people and Percy didn't want to attract suspicion.

The nearest stop to Camp was a 10-minute walk from the nearest bus stop. The ran over and got within the boundaries. They stood there, panting hard.

"What the hell is going on? I went to get a drink of water, and some mutated dog fucking attacks me?" Josh fumed.

The sudden outburst form Josh, and the sight of Percy, attracted a mini-crowd at Camp. The year-rounders weren't expecting summer campers until an hour. Percy looked through the people, and found Annabeth. She was good at this stuff. "Umm… Here, Annabeth will tell you about this place.

Annabeth fixed her gaze on Percy. She gave a look like, " _Oh, great. I'm the official Camp-Half Blood tour guide. Thanks._ " Nonetheless, she and Josh walked off, Annabeth giving him a tour.

After Percy settled down, he looked for another person he wanted to talk to: Luke. Percy headed towards the Hermes cabin.

Luke was sitting down, filing his nails with a… switchblade? Percy decided not to question it and decided to ask about the coup. Luke said it was going as planned. They currently didn't have many people: just Luke, Percy, Annabeth and Grover. However, given that there weren't many year-rounders, this was OK. Luke was planning to recruit the Stoll brothers, Clarisse, another Ares kid called Mark, and all the minor gods' children. Luke said this had only been going around for a month; they met in the forest at night, waiting until Chiron was asleep. Percy thought it was good progress.

-Line Break-

Percy was accustoming to life at Camp. It was Friday. The summertime campers were rolling in. Josh hadn't been claimed yet, but that was normal. No one got claimed overnight. Percy was currently at the lake, swimming around. Percy wasn't even tired, but being a son of Poseidon, that was normal. Percy and Josh were talking when Annabeth came up to Percy and whispered in his ear, "Woods tonight at 11. Be there. Go just outside Camp's boundaries so we don't get caught." Percy knew she was talking about the coup, but Josh, who didn't, snickered.

"What?" Percy asked, confused.

"You guys dating?" Josh chuckled.

Percy registered this in his mind, until he realized what Josh was saying. "No, no, not like that!" He blushed.

"Then what are you guys doing?" Josh raised an eyebrow.

"Come to the forest at 11 tonight." Percy vaguely replied.

-Line Break-

Percy snuck to the forest. It was quiet and dark, and the fear and angst of getting caught was like a vice on Percy's heart. After an agonizing couple of minutes, Percy arrived at the woods. There other people there were what Luke said: Annabeth, Grover, Luke. However, there were a couple

(COUP-le, haha) recruits: Malcom, the Stolls, Clarisse and some minor god children. Josh was also among the crowd.

Annabeth started off. "Let's cut to the chase." (haha, like her last- damn it, used that joke already.) "Well, don't you sometimes feel like the gods are getting out of hand? You know, neglecting their children, not caring about the mortal world, letting their pride get the better of them?"

All the kids looked like they agreed, especially the children of the minor gods, who nodded.

"Well, we're trying to do something about it. This is what our meetings are about. We don't want to destroy the gods or something like that, but we want to make them better." Percy finished. "The Olympian's ego has gone on for too long. The gods are getting out of hand."

The recruits nodded and murmured in agreement. One even clapped.

"Now, who wants in?" Luke announced.

All the new recruits raised their hands.

"Great. Now, you'll need to swear on the River Styx. If this information goes in the wrong hands, we'd be dead." Luke stated.

Each one of them stepped up and swore on the River Styx. The meeting started.

-Line Break-

Hera POV

The meeting concluded in little groups of twos and threes. Hera watched from above, impressed.

Everything was going according to plan.

With Percy and Luke, this group had some traction as leaders of the group. She smiled, then slumped back in her chair. These days, her prison was as monotonous as ever. Her only source of entertainment was Hephaestus TV, which barely even qualified. This was just like the Fields of Asphodel: not necessarily _bad_ , but just boring. Hera slumped in her chair. Her hair had grown out of control. She no longer emanated beauty, since room was enchanted to strip her of her power. She felt undignified; she just looked like a regular middle-aged mortal. She grew lazy and lost her desire to do anything. She would've faded, but the plan was keeping her alive just like food or water would. Hera sighed. She went back to bed, like she too often did these days.


End file.
